


love story

by silveroddity



Series: The Songfics [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: 1700s Au, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Aromantic Ford Pines, Asexual Ford Pines, Big Gay Love Story, Bill is super gay for Dipper and we stan it, BillDip, Bisexual Mabel Pines, Cheating, F/M, Gay Dipper Pines, Gay Sex, M/M, Not Beta Read, Period-Typical Homophobia, Post-Gravity Falls, Shitposting at two am because I can, Song: Love Story (Taylor Swift), Songfic, mabifica
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24580972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveroddity/pseuds/silveroddity
Summary: It's a songfic based on "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. There'll be a "You Belong With Me" one too, if I ever get the time.
Relationships: Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines, Pacifica Northwest/Dipper Pines, Pacifica Northwest/Mabel Pines
Series: The Songfics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776709
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21





	1. we were both young when I first saw you

Mason “Dipper” Pines. The most heterosexual of the heterosexual.

After all, how could he be anything else? He was courting Pacifica Northwest. The rich and famous heir of the Northwest family inheritance. He had no right to be anything **but** a man loving women in the seventeen hundreds. 

The Pines family originated from California (Piedmont, to be specific), and they were nowhere near as respected. Pacifica and Dipper’s relationship was in no way approved by her parents.

That day was a Friday afternoon, and Pacifica had Dipper by the arm as they strolled leisurely in a park together. Just your average nineteen-year-old status couple on their summer break, being happy and loving as she nuzzled into him and he smiled and kissed her hair. The blonde was studying Finance and Politics, while the brunet was majoring in Creative Writing as juniors at Gravity Falls University, the only one near Gravity Falls. They were set to be married when they turned twenty-five and everything. Their lives were planned out, their futures bright.

“Mason!” His girlfriend gave a soft giggle as she got his attention. He blinked and looked down at her with a loving smile. Her blonde hair glistened in the August afternoon sun, her azure crystalline eyes sparkling with joy and happiness. Her skin was the pale color known only to the most sheltered of the sheltered. She reached up and ran a hand through his own chestnut hair, making sure not to dislodge his glasses. They were rectangular and black in front of hazel eyes flecked with honey brown and green. He wasn’t as nearly as striking as she was; he looked like nothing more than a college student, but she was an entirely different story. It didn’t matter what she was wearing; she looked like a princess.

“I’ve told you so many times, it’s ‘Dipper.’” The nineteen-year-old male nuzzled her hair, smelling somewhat of lemongrass and lavender. His favorite smell in the world. 

“Mason. It’ll always be Mason to me.” She smiled playfully and poked him, unlike a proper lady.

His eyes wandered to a young man strolling alone. A tall, striking blond, with golden eyes and tanned skin unknown to this part of Gravity Falls, Oregon. And was that a splatter of blue on his left eye? He was dressed well in a dapper combination of yellow and black. A black undershirt, a yellow vest, and black slacks put his own outfit to shame. Dipper dressed in a white undershirt, an orange vest, black slacks, and a blue tie. Yes, it did seem he got dressed in the dark, or at least, without Pacifica’s help. After all, everyone said Dipper had no fashion sense of his own. The stranger’s own eyes caught his, and Dipper shot him a wink. The man choked (choked!) and looked away, a heavy blush decorating his dark, freckled cheeks as he bit his lip and avoided the couple’s gaze.

“Do you know his name, darling?” Dipper pointed him out, the man having turned away and continued his stroll, but perhaps at a more brisk pace than before.

“Oh yes, another rich boy. Old money, I’ve heard,” Pacifica commented. “Cipher, wasn't it? They’re _very_ old money. I’ve also heard their son is a bit eccentric. William Cipher.” She cocked her head and put a finger to his lip as she tried to recall the family’s details.

“William Cipher?” Dipper looked at him as he walked away. “Seems intriguing.”

“Don’t you go getting any ideas,” Pacifica chided playfully, waving a finger with a “you naughty boy” expression on her face. “You’re mine. My date to the ball tonight.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love! And of course, but who else?” Dipper picked her up and spun her, causing her to giggle as her lavender dress flared out behind her. He set her back down and pecked her on the lips. If he had been looking at the stranger, he would have seen his striking face falter as he watched at the happy couple.

William “Bill” Cipher.

The rich heir of the Cipher family.

His family was just as wealthy, if not more than the Northwest family. They were a reclusive, private family, though; few knew of them. The Northwests and the Ciphers had been friends in the past, Preston Northwest being Everett Cipher’s personal confidante. Everett was Bill’s father, so Bill had grown up knowing he was to be married to the daughter of Preston Northwest and Priscilla Northwest, Pacifica. His father was a strong man, demanding respect wherever he went, while his mother, Victoria Cipher, was far more timid. She was stunning, with long blonde locks and striking crystal blue eyes, and perfectly clear tan skin. His father had the same tanned skin, but he had raven-toned hair and haunting golden eyes. His brother had his father’s dark hair and his mother’s blue eyes, while he had inherited his mother’s blonde hair and his father’s aureate eyes. Though, his least favorite feature of his face was the splash of his mother's crystal blue on his left eye. He hated it.

“Smile once in a while, darling.” Victoria Cipher pressed two fingers under his chin as she pouted, examining his face. In truth, Bill was preoccupied, thinking of the boy he had seen in the park. He didn’t know what it was about the brunet, but he captivated him. “You have such a handsome face.”

“Mother, I’m fine.” He forced a smile. “The ball tonight will go fine. I promise.”

“Good.” She smiled her motherly smile. “I’d like to have a grandchild or two before I die. Tonight is a night full of promise and hope.” 

“Tonight will be great.” The twenty-year-old brushed hair out of his eyes as he gazed into the mirror, frowning at his reflection. His mother stood behind him in her resplendent dress of blue, wringing her hands anxiously as her glossy lips opened and closed.

“You know your father will be unhappy if you don’t look flawless,” she reminded. “Quite so. He’s very…”

“Orderly. I know.” Once Bill was done with his primping, he turned back around and embraced his mother, being careful not to get her makeup on his suit. He had changed out of his vest, and into an elegant black and gold three-piece-suit, looking much more refined than he had that day. He wore a black and gold bowtie, black gloves and black loafers.

“Boy!” a rough voice barked. His father strode into the room with a confident air and a dark expression clouding his face. His mother stepped away from him and retracted her embrace, bowing her head submissively. Oh, how Bill hated his mother for that. “Are you dressed?”

“Yes, sir,” Bill uttered almost defiantly. “I’m dressed.”

“Then what are you doing with that messy hair, hmm? You look like a vagrant,” he snapped. “Comb it.” Bill did so slowly, making sure to keep all the hair out of his eyes and sweep it neatly, gelling it perfectly and precisely…

 _Crack._ A sharp sound echoed through Bill’s room as he gasped, head turning to the side with the force of the slap as he held his cheek, blinking in surprise. The twenty-year-old’s eyes rose to the mirror as he gazed at the already-forming red handprint on his right cheek. “Defiant boy,” his father snarled. “Your hair better be neat and your cheek better not be red when you join us for the Northwest ball.” With that, he strode out. 

“Goodness, William, are you _quite_ alright?” his mother said anxiously.

“Yes, Mother.” Bill quickly tidied his hair and examined the fading red handprint. “It should be gone in a minute.”

“Your father does have a temper,” she sighed, dismissing the incident. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, Mother.” With that, he followed her out.

Dipper was busy preparing too. Pacifica had dressed him this time in a navy suit, a light blue bowtie and black loafers. She herself was in a cerulean ball gown, looking every bit the princess she always did. “Remember, we have to pretend we’re not dating,” she said, curling the last blonde lock.

“I do.” Dipper sighed as he walked downstairs to the ballroom, immediately spotting the blond he had run into at the park. He took a deep breath, walking over to him.

“Hello. I think I met you earlier. I’m Dipper Pines.” He stuck out his hand with a smile.


	2. little did i know that you were Romeo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, God, guys, I’m sorry for that cliffhanger. JK, haha, but really. Thanks so much for the eight kudos or so.

“Hello. I think I met you earlier. I’m Dipper Pines.” He stuck out his hand with a smile.

Bill just stared at Dipper with his unsettling gaze, taking in the boy in front of him. He was shorter than average, chestnut hair curling just perfectly, almost hanging in front of his eyes. They looked Bill up and down, and Bill quickly found himself getting lost in those swirls of light hazel, caramel, and green. Dipper shifted uncomfortably, feeling Bill’s intense gaze, trying not to look away. But staring into those aureate eyes wasn’t easy; it was akin to staring directly at the sun in all its glory.

“Sir?” Bill shook himself out of his reverie, looking again at the boy that faced him.

“Yes. Hello, Dipper, I’m Bill.” Bill gave him an easy grin before shaking his hand. “What brings you to Gravity Falls?”

“Oh, nothing. Just my courting. I wanted to attend Gravity Falls Uni with her.” Dipper didn’t notice how Bill had flinched at the notion of Dipper having a courtship.

“Oh, who’s your special someone?” Bill asked, tilting his head at Dipper’s declaration of already having an object of his affections. Yes, it stung, but Bill was a glutton for punishment.

“You can’t tell anyone.” Dipper looked around before leaning in. “It’s someone I’m not to love.” Oh, did Bill know that heartache. After all, a gay man in the seventeen hundreds wasn’t to be respected or admired, and Bill was as closeted as closeted could be.

“Who’s the girl?” Bill leaned in, tilting his head. 

Dipper pointed to the blonde standing at the top of the stairs, leaning over the railing and staring with her cheek on her fist as she gazed out at the sea of poofy dresses and tuxes. She saw it as a playground for the super-rich and beautiful, somewhere for them to get subtly drunk on the high-end champagne and spill gossip. Bore, boring, bored.

“Her.”

“ _Her?_ ”

“Her. Pacifica Northwest.”

And Bill’s heart broke then and there. This boy was probably straight. “...That’s amazing. Best wishes to you. Actually, I go to Gravity Falls Uni too.” 

Dipper’s face brightened. “What’s your major?” he asked, leaning in to show interest.

Bill chuckled. “I'm majoring in Finance and Politics, minoring in Chemistry.” 

Dipper frowned. “Those are two vastly different fields of interest.”

“Yes, well, I’m taking Finance and Politics to appease my father. He was most displeased when I mentioned I wasn’t taking Civics as my minor.” Bill gave a chuckle and shook his head, his blond hair coming loose from its neat gelled sweep, loosely swishing back and forth across his forehead. 

Dipper gave a soft chuckle. “Pardon me, but your hair’s getting messy.” Unfortunately, this didn’t inspire the response he expected. Bill looked around frantically for his father, quickly trying to rake his hair back into position before anyone could notice. No one really did except for Dipper; all the people there (especially the women) were all too tipsy to notice or care. That had to be a blessing in disguise, being that Bill’s father probably would not have been pleased with the way Bill’s hair looked right now. “Uh, Bill, is everything alright? You look a little…pale.” Bill was gazing into a spoon, trying to make sure every hair was in place before his father found him. When he was done, his hair was back to a pristine state. Not a hair out of place. Dipper was impressed; his own hair tended to be a disaster, and no matter how hard anyone tried, it just remained a curly mess. It was kind of cutely endearing.

“I get anxious when my hair isn’t in place,” Bill lied easily. It was somewhat remarkable how well the blond lied. He supposed it was a trait learned from having ultra-strict parents. Oh well, I guess that was one plus to having assholes as parents. 

“I see.” Dipper nodded, none the wiser. He was even less the wiser when Pacifica caught his eye and smiled at him, and of course, he turned red but smiled back. What an awkward blusher. Legendary. But Bill noticed, and something in him twisted like taffy. Something in that heart clenched at the lovers’ secret exchange, but being a famous socialite’s son, he regathered himself fast, and no one (least of all the lovestruck brunet) was the wiser.

“I see you're in love,” Bill teased him with a grin, like old friends.

Dipper turned even redder at the good-natured ribbing. “Do be quiet,” he chuckled, giving Bill a playful shove. “I’m positive you’ve a special someone. Who’s the lucky girl?”

 _Boy,_ Bill wanted to correct, but he was used to the assumption. “No one at the moment. A lone wolf.” He grinned as he sipped some golden-toned champagne he had snatched from the tray of a waiter passing by. 

“You will not be for long,” Dipper said with a grin. “You will find your soulmate.”

“Heh. I suppose so." But everything, every single fibre of Bill’s being screamed, _I won’t find my soulmate! I think I might have just now, in a small brunet who IS STRAIGHT AND TAKEN!_ But instead, he just smiled, and continued to converse politely with Dipper. THEN, the orchestra started. A chorus of violins sang a beautiful, slow-dance song as partners bowed to each other. Pacifica was still on her balcony, like a pedestal above all the others. She wouldn’t be dancing that night, or any night. Simply watching over the crowd who had fun. 

Dipper just kind of swayed nervously to the violin, on his own. It really was a sad show. “Aren’t you going to dance?” Bill asked, tilting his head and snapping Dipper out of his reverie. 

“No dance partner,” he said ruefully. “So, as a result, no. No dancing for me.” 

“Well,” Bill said, casting a cursory glance around, “Let’s dance.” He grinned as he took his hand and began to twirl him with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, guys, if I were to absolutely theoretically possibly maybe start a new fic, would you all want to read:  
> -Some Lawlight or some Mello X Near stuff?  
> -A "Ghost" by Halsey Willdip songfic?  
> -A Romeo and Juliet thing where Dipper is part of the Pines gang and Bill is part of the Cipher gang, and they basically fall in love and have to hide it?  
> -An "Is There Somewhere" by Halsey Billdip songfic where Dipper and Bill hook up and get attached to each other, all while Bill's dating Pyronica?
> 
> Leave your vote in the comments please!!


	3. on a balcony in summer air

“Well,” Bill said, casting a cursory glance around, “Let’s dance.” He grinned as he took his hand and began to twirl him with a smile. 

“Oh, no, I don’t think…” Dipper stammered, sending another nervous glance around as he swallowed. It sounded fun, but he hadn’t had  _ nearly  _ enough champagne to do this. Plus side, no one was even looking at them except Pacifica every five minutes or so. Everyone was too drunk and/or didn’t give a shit. No. He was hetero. He wasn’t… wasn’t one of those  _ sodomites  _ that roamed the isle of La Croix. He wasn’t… no. He quite literally  _ ripped _ his hand from Bill’s grasp. “ _ No _ ,” he snarled, teeth bared like an animal. 

“I… hey, kid, I didn’t mean to…” he stammered awkwardly, face red with the sting of the rejection.  _ Good,  _ Dipper thought savagely. Then he was surprised at himself. He was more civilized than that! But even as an apology started in his throat and his mind, it came out bitter.

“Don’t,” he hissed. “Get away.” And just like that, those warm aureate eyes turned cold and flat. Animal eyes. 

“Fine.” And Bill strolled away leisurely, towards a balcony no one else occupied. His walk was stiff, the walk of someone with wounded pride. Dipper watched him go with a rush of guilt and regret in his hazel eyes.

Bill was swearing loudly, unrestrainedly, and angrily in his head as he leaned on the balcony and stared out into the night. The kid had damaged his pride even more than it already was. He knew exactly what the kid had been thinking.  _ What a dirty homo. So disgusting. Doesn’t he know he’s throwing his handsome face away?  _ He pretended not to notice, but how could he not? He lived in a world where prejudice against people like  _ him  _ was normal and justified. And as he leaned over the side of the railing, sighing softly as he looked out at the lights in the city, running a hand through his thick blond hair, messing it up into a kind of tousled hairdo that resembled golden waves of water. For once, his first thought wasn’t, “My father’s going to kill me,” it was that boy. Dipper. Something about him meant that he wouldn’t leave Bill’s head, and it was starting to aggravate him to no end. This boy couldn’t be his new drug, ever, and he knew it. It was dangerous to depend on someone else like he had depended on his father. Of course, now his father was rather unpleasant to him, and he had learned his lesson on love and dependence on someone else.

“Hey,” came the brunet’s soft voice as he knocked on the door separating the ballroom from the balcony.

“Go away.”

“I just want to talk.” Dipper tapped his foot as he shifted a little. He had never been good when someone was upset.

“You made it pretty clear how willing you are to talk.” It was taking all the self-control in the world plus some to keep his voice level and even.

“Listen, I’m sorry, you just caught me by surprise.” Dipper was starting to feel worse and worse by the moment as Bill turned his eyes back out to the city.

“Like I believe that. Please just leave me alone.” He closed his eyes, mouthing “please,” but Dipper couldn’t see his face. Another moment, and the brunet walked out without another word. As soon as he had gone, Bill buried his face into his hands, finally letting himself cry.

A few days passed.

Bill still felt like shit; he had barely left his  _ bed  _ in the last few days.

Dipper felt like shit; he could tell Bill had been hurt, even as he had tried to hide it, albeit badly.

He just wasn’t sure what to  _ do. _ He could go and try to apologize, but he was sure that wouldn’t end well. Bill could have been a good friend to him if he weren’t so dumb and dense.

Goddamn it.

Either way, even more time passed, as is inevitable and will always happen, no matter what we wish. That particular day, two weeks later, it was warm with a slight breeze, and Dipper walked alone through the park in which he had first spotted Bill. Pacifica was out on a business trip with her family.

Pain demands to be felt, and Dipper was feeling it now, that steady ache low in his gut every time he thought about Bill. It was a heavy kind of guilt, one that weighed heavily and made it hard to move. One step felt like it weighed thousands of pounds.

He missed her. Sure, he missed her, and he thought about her, but not nearly as much as he thought about Bill. 

Goddamn him and his guilty conscience. He hadn’t even done anything wrong! So why did he feel like he had?

Bill was aching too. He had thought Dipper was different. For heaven’s sake, he had actually taken a chance on Dipper. He had  _ asked him to dance. _ He shuddered remembering his folly, his ridiculous belief. He was so naive. Hadn’t he  _ learned  _ anything from being a gay man in the seventeen hundreds? And he had asked Dipper  _ after Dipper told him he had a girlfriend! _ Like Bill could change that. And for once in his life Bill wasn’t as invincible as he made himself out to be.

Bill could hurt and be hurt. No one seemed to notice, or sometimes, even care, but he wasn’t emotionless. The sting of rejection bit at him just the way it did for other people, but no one thought Bill could feel that. 

The powerful are never as strong as they seem.

Dipper strolled through the park, heavy aching and pain singing through him. He tried to ignore it, trying to quiet the voices in his head.  _ Your fault. Alone. Merciless. Awful. Coward. COWARD.  _ **_COWARD._ ** Dipper was choking. All the voices, all the words, all the pain… he couldn’t breathe, he was suffocating under a heavy, thick duvet of words, he was drowning, he couldn’t…

He collapsed, on his knees, hands pressed to his ears, and started screaming.


End file.
